Jim Paxton's 1937 Ford Fordor Convertible

For a guy who has built a business making automotive electrical systems as simple as possible to install, Jim Paxton and Painless Performance Products sure didnt take the easy route when it came time for a new project. Jim picked a pretty rare car for a frame-up build: a 37 Ford Fordor convertible. A big fan of resto-rods, he decided that his next one was going to be a Ford four-port convertible, and after doing some research at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit, he settled on the 37. It wasnt too popular even in its heydayonly a little over 4,000 were soldand not many have survived this long.

Jim located just five that had eluded the crusher.

Once the 37 was procured, Jim turned it over to his business partner Dennis Overholser for a complete buildup. Dennis is the VP of Engineering at Painless Performance and a self-described gearhead who has built many cars over the years, both for roddin and racin. Dennis has a home shop that would make some pro builders envious with the outstanding iron that has rolled out of its doors. Dennis fingered the usual suspects, enlisting Jack Brewer, Jackie Collins, Dave Fish, and Bob Boudreaux to help with various stages of the build. The car was intended to be driven hard, so the choice of a late-model overhead-valve V-8 was naturala Ford 302, thankfully. All told, the car spent almost two years in the shop, but since it was built to drive, expect to see it on the show circuit this summer.